Athletes dominated Kenya's Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony which was organised by World Marathon record holder, Paul Tergat, on Wednesday night (1) in Nairobi, Kenya.
The World 5000m champion, Benjamin Limo, was crowned the 2005 Safaricom Sportsman of the Year.
The colourful second edition of the Safaricom Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA) ceremony was held at the Nairobi's Grand Regency Hotel. Limo received Sh100,000 ($1,408) cash prize, a trophy and a certificate. Limo won the award following his feat at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, last August where he was the sole gold medallist for Kenya.
The Vice President Moody Awori, mobile telephone providers, Safaricom's (main sponsors) Chief Executive Michael Joseph, Ethiopia's athletics legend Haile Gebrselassie, and Tergat, were among the other dignitaries who graced the occasion.
The World Junior Cross Country champion Augustine Choge took the runners-up position and bagged Sh50,000 ($704), a trophy and certificate. He went ahead to pick the runner-up position in the Most Promising Athlete's category. The category was won by the former World Half Marathon record holder, the Japanese based Samwel Wanjiku. Africa double junior gold medallist Moses Masai took third place in the same category.
Marathon World and Olympic silver medallist, Catherine Ndereba, was voted the best sportswoman. She also earned Sh100,000, a trophy and a certificate.
Like Choge, Veronica Nyaruai Wanjiru took the third place in the category but ensured a top finish in the women's Most Promising category. Wanjiru is the World Junior Cross Country silver medallist. Sheila Chepkurui was third in the most promising sportswoman category, behind volleyballer Mercy Moim.
Kenya's team to last year's African Junior Championships in Tunis were voted runners-up in the team of the year while women's marathon team to last year's World Championships in Helsinki took third place.
Omulo Okoth (The Standard) for IAAF
